Barry Bonds bombshell: Book details slugger's steroid use..

[go Yankees]

y wud they lie n say hes smaller than he is? (he 250 they say 226) lets put it this way he does not look "unreal" or "unachievable" persay

because they don't want to arise any kind of suspicion, as if nothing else about him did. A lot of athletes are listed heavier, but a bunch are also listed lighter, like really heavy (and fat) football players

[Bouncer]

Im surprised there hasnt been more media attention on this story. It was all over the place for like a day and havent seen much about it since.

Did bonds ever respond?

[Shibby]

Bond's only response was that he's not going to respond to that trash.

[meat12]

the book comes out today just so you guys know

[go Yankees]

Did bonds ever respond?

I don't think he's changed his stance from the day when the news broke, that being, "I will only answer baseball questions"

(rest of interview: reporter: "is that the advice of your lawyer?" Bonds: "is that a baseball question?")

There has been more news, the latest I heard is that if the commissioner suspends Bonds, or rather, any punitive move by the commissioner against Bonds will be met by opposition from the Players' Union. BUT, Selig still has a leg to stand on punishing Bonds for something like "conduct detrimental to Major League Baseball" or something general like that.

My feeling is, Selig HAS to do something here, his reputation is on the line, although I hear many more people talk about Pete Rose than about Bart Giamatti (the commissioner who suspended him).

[meat12]

I just picked up the book on my lunch break, I'll let you guys know what the deal is with it a little later

[hitmansb]

Selig still has a leg to stand on punishing Bonds for something like "conduct detrimental to Major League Baseball" or something general like that.

I don't see how he would have a leg to stand on, as this stuff happened before the major league ban took effect. All of Bonds' tests since the rules were implemented have been negative. This would open MLB up to a heck of a lawsuit.

[go Yankees]

oh I agree, I thought Selig was on thin ice before until I heard about this idea, punishing him for something like embarrassing the league, or conduct detrimental to the league. So it wouldn't really be about the steroids; he'd just be punished for getting caught in a whirlwind of controversy that makes baseball look bad, and he kinda brought it on himself by deciding to use, and...I guess...being a good baseball player, so the story keeps up...

we'll see, I'm not an arbitrator here, but I think it'll be very interesting how it plays out

[meat12]

I've read about 50 pages so far pretty intresting. I'll post comments tommorow

[hitmansb]

Well, it looks like Barry's lawyers were waiting for the book to be officially released before making their move:

ESPN.com news services

SAN FRANCISCO -- Barry Bonds plans to sue the authors and publisher of a book that alleges the San Francisco Giants' slugger used steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonds' attorneys sent a letter Thursday to an agent for the authors of "Game of Shadows," alerting them of plans to sue the writers, publisher Gotham Books, the San Francisco Chronicle and Sports Illustrated, which published excerpts this month.

"Our client, Barry Bonds, will seek an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order against them, as well as Gotham Books/Penguin USA, Sports Illustrated Magazine and the San Francisco Chronicle," Alison Berry Wilkinson, an associate of Bonds' lead attorney, Michael Rains, wrote in the letter. "This injunctive action will be brought pursuant to California's Unfair Competition Law ... to obtain, in summary, disgorgement of any profits related to or derived from the publication and distribution of the book."

The letter, signed by Wilkinson was posted on the Chronicle's Web site. A hearing was tentatively scheduled for 11 a.m. Friday in San Francisco Superior Court.

"The reason we filed in the lawsuit in the simplest terms possible is to prevent the authors from promoting themselves and profiting from illegal conduct," Rains told The Associated Press on Thursday.

He said laws prohibit people from possessing grand jury materials unless they are unsealed and said authors Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams, both also reporters for the Chronicle, "have made a complete farce of the criminal justice system."

ESPN's Pedro Gomez reported that the planned lawsuit is not a libel suit.

The book, released Thursday, claims Bonds used steroids, human growth hormone, insulin and other banned substances for at least five seasons beginning in 1998.

"We certainly stand by our reporters and the reporting they did for us," Chronicle executive vice president and editor Phil Bronstein said. "Nothing that's happened will change that."

Bonds' legal team will ask a judge Friday to issue a temporary restraining order forfeiting all profits from publication and distribution, according to the letter. The lawyers plan to file the suit under California's unfair competition law.

The attorneys will ask a federal judge to initiate contempt proceedings "for the use of illegally obtained" grand jury transcripts the authors used in writing the book. Rains said profits should be forfeited because of that.

"What we're saying is, who are the real cheaters? They are the ones who are using these illegally obtained materials," Rains said.

Williams and Fainaru-Wada said the book will stand up to a court challenge.

"I don't know what the legal action they contemplate is," Williams said. "Gotham can speak to the legal issues, but the facts in our book are true and they will stand up to scrutiny."

"We fully stand behind our reporting of the book," Fainaru-Wada added.

Lisa Johnson, a spokeswoman for publisher Gotham Books, said the publisher supports both authors. "We at Gotham Books are shocked that Barry Bonds would take such a foolish step," she said. "Any respected First Amendment lawyer in America knows that his claim is nonsense."

Rains said Bonds will not comment directly on the lawsuit but strongly supports the case.

"Barry is doing fine," Rains said. "He's had a great spring as everyone knows. His bat speaks for himself and he's not going to speak on this action and this book."

The Giants refused to comment to Gomez. "The Giants have no response. This is Barry Bonds' personal issue."

A key source in the book is a former Bonds lover, Kimberly Bell, who bolsters the steroid case against Bonds and says she received money from the seven-time Most Valuable Player not reported to tax authorities.

"There is an ongoing investigation and I don't want to interrupt that in any way," she told Reuters. "Because of the investigation and the potential there at this time I am not making any commentary on the situation or the book."

Legal experts say the book could also prompt the U.S. attorney to investigate whether Bonds lied to a federal grand jury when he testified in the BALCO steroid case. Bell has already testified before a grand jury.

The book also claims sluggers Jason Giambi and Gary Sheffield, both now with the New York Yankees, also used performance-enhancing drugs.

Giambi was asked about Bonds' planned suit on Thursday at the Yankees' spring camp in Tampa, Fla.

"This is all news to me. I didn't know any more of this than what you guys know," Giambi said. "I've done what I had to do last year and I've gone forward. I handled it last year, gone forward and I'm worried about winning a World Series now. It was the best thing I needed to do."

The book claims Giambi turned to performance-enhancing drugs because he felt pressured to please his perfectionist father. "I think it's pretty pathetic that they tried to drag my father into it," Giambi said.

Sheffield would not comment.

"I don't even talk about it," Sheffield said.

[go Yankees]

it sounds interesting...unfortunately, at this stage, it's talk talk talk from everyone, Selig, Bonds' lawyers...like Chris Russo (Mad Dog) from WFAN 600 AM's (New York) "Mike and the Mad Dog" said last year when the Balco stuff hit the fan, "slap Bonds and Giambi with a 100-game suspension, give Sheffield a 50, and have the players union fight THAT" I'm not exactly advocating that, but I want to see Selig do something to show that he cares, that the HOF veterans care, and that Bonds is a bit of an embarrassment and a sideshow to the season

[meat12]

The book starts off in the 1997 season one weekend 2 months into the season when Mark McGuire has 20 Homeruns already and The Giants are coming to St. Louis for a series. Bonds expresses jealousy towards McGwuire after losing the first two games of the series due to McGwuire homers. And after battling to win the third game in extra innings, Bonds tells his girlfriend he is going to do "the shit" meaning steroids.

Then the books goes back and gives a backround on Victor Conte, the owner of BALCO. It also has a chapter on Barry Bonds childhood which I found pretty intresting. Which kind of explains his personality.

Thats about as far as I am now. As an added note Bill "Romo" Romanowski's name was also brought up in the book. Not that is a suprise but he did have major conections to BALCO. I'll post more the further I get into it.

[meat12]

Barry Bonds' attorney is going to be on The Dan Patrick show debating with Roger Cossack in a half hour. Should be intresting

[walker]

all of you guy talk shit on bounds and then go to you bathroom and shoot up what a bunch of hypocrites and I would say 60 % of professionals atheists are on STEROID and that's a fact and it doesn't madder how much STEROID you take you still have to put in hard work and that is what separates the champs from the wanbes I hope I did not offend anyone yours truly walkersgamedogs :usausausa

[Shibby]

all of you guy talk shit on bounds and then go to you bathroom and shoot up what a bunch of hypocrites and I would say 60 % of professionals atheists are on STEROID and that's a fact and it doesn't madder how much STEROID you take you still have to put in hard work and that is what separates the champs from the wanbes I hope I did not offend anyone yours truly walkersgamedogs :usausausa

If you are going to try and sound intelligent at least spell the guy's name right. Also you don't need steroids to be a professional atheist, but it can help with being an athlete.